90-plus die as Syria warns Japan

At least 90 people were killed in Syria yesterday while President Bashar al-Assad’s regime told Japan to cancel its plan to meet other nations about further sanctions against his country.

Syrian troops loyal to Mr Assad killed the 90, including 43 in or around Damascus, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said.

Other raids took place in the cities of Homs and Hama, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

More than 29 soldiers died in explosions and clashes with rebels seeking to topple Mr Assad, the observatory said.

The Syrian Arab News Agency said three car bombings by terrorists in the city of Daraa killed seven people.

Syria demanded that Japan scrap the meeting in Tokyo late this month at which international delegates will consider proposals to strengthen sanctions, according to SANA, which reported the government in Damascus has cited worsening living conditions for Syrians in its appeal. No date has been set for the meeting of officials from about 60 nations in the Friends of Syria group, Agence France-Presse said.

Mr Assad vowed not to flee Syria and said the cost of any Western military operation in Syria would be “more than the whole world can afford", in an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT.

More than 35,000 people have died since the uprising began in March 2011, the Observatory for Human Rights group said.